Port told to fear Magpie army

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse was just another face in the crowd at yesterday's final between the Magpies' VFL affiliate Williamstown and Port Melbourne at TEAC Oval.
Photo: SEBASTIAN COSTANZO

Port Adelaide is kidding itself if it thinks it has nothing to lose when it takes on Collingwood and its "army" of supporters in Saturday's preliminary final, according to Magpies coach Mick Malthouse.

Malthouse's comments came in response to Power coach Mark Williams' suggestion that Collingwood would go into the preliminary final carrying a similar burden of pressure to the one his side felt going into last year's qualifying final - where Collingwood upset Port by 13 points at AAMI Stadium.

Despite insisting that he would not get involved in a "slanging match" with Williams, Malthouse said Port would have much to lose when it took to the MCG on Saturday afternoon.

"I heard an interesting thing today, where somebody - it might have been one of their players, I'm not 100 per cent sure - said, 'We've got nothing to lose'. Well, let's not kid ourselves, what you'll lose is a right to a grand final," he said.

"In finals football, you have a lot to lose . . . there's so much to lose, that's why you get four very desperate sides. If you don't value a grand final berth, you are not going to play at your best."

Williams had fired the first psychological barb of the week soon after Saturday night's win over Essendon when he said the tables had turned since his side was famously beaten by Collingwood in the first week of last year's finals series.

"When we played Collingwood last year, we were sitting here waiting for a side that hadn't won too much to come over and have a crack at us - I think the tables have turned," he said.

Malthouse, who yesterday watched Williamstown defeat Port Melbourne in the VFL preliminary final, replied: "He's a year late, isn't he? To try to stir anything up? I think it has been done, so you just got to get on with playing the game.

"If he is worrying about my comments from last year and tries to counter them this year, well that's up to Mark."

Malthouse also warned Port Adelaide that it would have to overcome a ferocious pro-Collingwood crowd if it was going to advance to its first AFL grand final.

"The army will be there and they will be waiting, make no mistake about it," he said.

"Thirty-three thousand at AAMI Stadium (for the Essendon match) can be considered however they like; good crowd, bad crowd or whatever, (but) rest assured the army are waiting, it will be a wonderful reception. It will be something to behold."

Far from be intimidated, Williams said his players would cherish the chance to play in front of such a big crowd.

The army will be there and they will be waiting, make no mistake about it.MICK MALTHOUSE

"Everything will stand up on the back of their necks," he said.

"The fact is that Collingwood and us together will get 80,000 people there and it will be our biggest crowd ever and we can't wait."

But Williams, a former Magpies captain, said the fans' passion could work against the Collingwood coach.

"All I can say is this: I've spent more time at Collingwood than Mick Malthouse has and I know what it's like when you don't win finals," said Williams.

"They've lost a few (finals) of late, so I know what pressure I'd be under."

Williams said he took confidence from the fact his side had won six of the nine matches between the clubs.

"Both sides go in with a particular way of trying to play - they will play a shut-down, take it slow and try to make it a very low scoring game as they normally do and we'll try to score lots of goals."